


The Choir Invisible

by 37bats



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, M/M, Mystery, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-11 08:12:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11710395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/37bats/pseuds/37bats
Summary: “But not what I want to ask you about. I have multiple reports stating that you've died, like, a whole bunch, and yet somehow, you're still here. Care to explain?”Another beat of silence. It takes a second for Taako's intoxicated brain to process the question. Same as the others, apparently, because all at once, there was a resounding, “What.”“Multiple tragedies, from Phandalin to Refuge, all including you three in a body count,” Kravitz states, “so we have reason to believe you've faked your death multiple times. Or just died somehow, I don't know.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Uhh hello, this is my first multi-chapter fic, so I don't really have any basis as to when updates will be. But anyway! This is a sort of modern fantasy au so everyone still gots magic and stuff. This takes place aroouuund lunar interlude II comparatively, except like, no BOB. If ya got any questions feel free to ask ^^

The bar they usually hung out at was busy that night. It had been gaining popularity recently, plus it's a Friday, so go figure. The boys wanted to commemorate a recent adventure gone good, with no serious killing this time. Only like, one dude died, and it wasn't even their fault, thus the cause for celebration.

However, because of the sudden influx of people, it was far noisier than any of them would have liked. Magnus didn't mind that much, occasionally chatting with the other patrons in-between swigs of beer.

Taako looked around, hoping to find something (or maybe some _one_ ) interesting to set his eyes on. So far all that's proven decent enough is the weird memorabilia attached to the walls and tables. Odds and ends, from mounted animal heads to knick knacks proclaiming the bar’s name. As full as the place was, nearly to the brim of humans, elves, orcs, etc., there still weren't any Lookers. He'd almost given up, choosing instead to fully eavesdrop in on Mangus’ conversations, as opposed to only half listening, until the creaky tavern entrance opened for the hundredth time that night. Normally Taako wouldn't have looked, already over whatever soon to be bar-hopping, drunken idiot stumbled through, but this time he allowed himself the pleasure to take just a glance.

Boy howdy was he glad he did.

Sure enough, a particularly handsome man strolled in, looking exhausted and making a beeline to the bartender. He holds up a finger while saying something, hesitates, then holds up a second. When the bartender nods and walks away, the man sighs and drags his hand over his face, quickly surveying the area. The two make eye contact, the moment feeling like some romcom movie, all slow-mo and shit. Taako grins. The man's eyes widen, shaking his head and quickly pulling some papers out of his coat. He looks at them, then back at Taako, then at Merle and Magnus. He pockets the papers and stalks over hurriedly, clearly in a rush for something. That puts Taako a little on edge, but he's sure whatever Handsome wants can't be that bad.

“Are you Taako- uh,” He hesitates, “Magnus Burnsides, and Merle Highchurch?” God the accent on this guy was _hilarious._

“Yessiree!” Magnus shouted a bit too boisterously.

“How come you know our names, huh?” Taako slurs, “Tell us _your_ name, gorgeous?”

Handsome cleared his throat, looking a bit confused, then pulls a wallet from somewhere inside his coat, a hidden pocket or something, flipping it open to reveal a badge. On it displays the name “Kravitz”, but he places it back in his pocket before Taako has time to catch the last name. “I have _many_ questions for you. If you'd please meet me outside, we can talk more there.”

For a moment, everyone froze. This was not the kind of night they were expecting. All they wanted was to drink themselves stupid and pass out in their shitty motel room.

“We didn't kill anyone!” Merle exclaims. Taako is overcome with the urge to get the fuck out, window jumping style, but also kick Merle's ass for literally saying the dumbest thing out loud. Of course they've fucking killed people, like, all the time. Really it was hard for them to get thrown in an adventure _without_ sending someone to an early grave.

Kravitz is taken aback by the sudden exclamation . “That is… debatable,” he says. Magnus slaps a hand over his face. “But not what I want to ask you about. I have multiple reports stating that you've died, like, a whole bunch, and yet somehow, you're still here. Care to explain?”

Another beat of silence. It takes a second for Taako's intoxicated brain to process the question. Same as the others, apparently, because all at once, there was a resounding, “ _What.”_

“Multiple tragedies, from Phandalin to Refuge, all including you three in a body count,” Kravitz states, “so we have reason to believe you've faked your death multiple times. Or just died somehow, I don't know.”

Taako is too drunk for this, but still, something about what Kravitz said feels off, aside from the obvious. Merle puts it into words before Taako can think of it himself, “Wait a minute, we've never been to Refuge, and what 'tragedy’ happened in Phandalin?”

That puts Kravitz off, and he struggles for a second to find words. “I- I'm not sure. The report didn't… say that much?” He seems just as lost and confused as they were now. He was thinking deep, eyebrows knit together as he attempted to say something in response. “Look, when I can get information on that, I will. But right now you three have died multiple times, nearly too many to count. That’s not feasible _or_ legal.”

“So? What are we even being charged with here?” Merle asks.

“Nothing, yet. Not to mention you said you’ve never been to Refuge, correct? If you’d come with me, we can sort out this whole situation and you can be on your way,” Kravitz gives a quick glance between the three of them, “given that you’re telling the truth.”

Magnus puffs up in indignation, “Of course we’re telling the truth, what the hell!”

“Look, I'm not going to drag you off anywhere as long as you _comply_ ,” he says, visibly growing frustrated. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Trust me, I'm just as confused as you three are.”

“What's the hard way?” Taako asks, “I'm interested, if ya know what I mean,” he flourishes with a wink. Kravitz continues to look baffled and maybe flustered.

“He probably _is_ going to arrest us, am I right?” Merle interjects, either oblivious to the flirting or really, _really_ trying to ignore it.

“For fucks sake,” he pinches the bridge of his nose, “I said I’m not going to arrest you, stop saying I will.”

Merle opens his mouth like he's about to say something, then decides against it. Whatever he was going to say, shutting up was a smart move, in Taako’s opinion. There's a short pause and the only noise is the shuffling of clothes as Magnus crosses his arms.

“We don't have to do this, right? Like, we're not obligated to go?” Magnus asks, still sounding a little pissed at being accused of lying. Kravitz sighs, clearly tired of this conversation and where it's future will be.

“No, you are not obligated to come with me, I don't have the authority to do that. _However_ ,” he hisses, “being so reluctant is not doing you any good in proving your innocence.”

“Hold on, okay, hold on,” Taako interjects into this, “first of all, you really expect three drunk guys to willingly go with a random dude to some office and discuss whatever it is your talking about at fucking midnight? And second, you come to us, no proof in hand about this death shit, and expect us to believe it? Badge or no, it sounds like a whole lotta horse shit to me.”

Merle and Magnus nod in agreement, clearly pleased with Taako’s points. Despite his very good claims, Kravitz looks both baffled and _furious,_ but then, reluctantly, he draws it back. He holds his hands up in defeat, still signaling a glare to the trio, “Fine, you have a point, let me grab my files. It won’t take long.” Taako's stomach drops, though he's not sure if it's from the alcohol, the impending sense of doom, or the idea that he's going to have to spend even more time in this bar talking when he could be sleeping in a warm bed with promises of a hangover in the morning.

“Wait! Wait, wait,” Magnus repeats. Taako has no idea what he plans to do, but it could either save them, or get them arrested for murder rather than dying. “How about, instead of… what you're doing… we do… something else…” he speaks out slowly, clearly trying to stall for time. Either he's doing whatever he needs to do or he's depending on Taako and Merle to come up with a plan instead. Kravitz picks up on it quickly, though resigns whatever he was planning to do.

“How about this, okay? We'll have a wager, ‘cuz this is a bar setting, and wagers happen a lot in bars, right?” Kravitz provides a decent out. “So, if I win, you come with me, no complaints-”

Merle interrupts, “I dunno if any of us can do the ‘no complaints’ part.”

“Well, you're gonna have to, because that's what a wager is, and I asked nicely,” he says, looking at Merle, who now has his arms crossed. “And if you win you can be on your merry way.”

“Are we allowed to die more times after we win?” Magnus asks

“I would really, really prefer if you didn't actually, because my job is to not have that happen without consequence.

“So, you in?” Kravitz says with an air of finality.

Magnus shrugs, “Yeah I like card games!”

“Oh so-so we're doing a card game? Okay, didn't exactly agree to that one but, I can do that. I like card games too. So like, what kind of card game we talking about here, old maid, war, uno, scrapple…” Kravitz lists some off, using the tips of his fingers like a measurement.

“Euchre, go fish,” Merle adds in.

“Yes! Those would be good too, um, there's a lot huh?” He taps his finger on his jaw, thinking. “How about something simple, like a higher draw game? Wait, you guys have a deck of cards, right?”

At the prompt, Magnus pulls out his trick cards and Taako has to stifle a laugh at remembering they existed. This fool’s gonna get played hardcore. As Magnus shuffles the deck, Taako takes some time to scope out Kravitz’s whole situation, just out of curiosity. He's still standing at the edge of the table, instead of sitting like the rest of the crew, which was pretty funny.

“You know playing cards would be a lot easier sitting down, homie,” he suggests, motioning to an empty chair. Kravitz looks a bit bashful at the realization, and awkwardly takes a seat, folding his hands on top of the table. Very nice hands covered in expensive looking rings. The guys actually has quite the jewelry set on him, most of it silver, some bird based and some skull based. What weirdly morbid adornments.

Magnus slams down the now shuffled cards a little harder than necessary, but that's Magnus for you. He holds out a hand, inviting Kravitz to go first, who takes a card. Magnus is surprisingly dexterous, despite his big meaty hands. He pulls out a higher card, and Kravitz doesn't notice the sleight of hand that occurred. His face twists a margin.

“Oh, kind of boring, huh? Like, that sure was just the end of it. Um, best two out of three, maybe?”

“Nope! We won fair and square,” Magnus punctuates with a high five to both Taako and Merle, “so we don't get arrested. Bam!”

“I wasn't going to- okay, whatever, you're right. I'll be off, but please for the love of Gods don't die anymore. I'll be keeping an eye on you three- _especially_ you Merle, you have the worst of it,” Kravitz says with a finger extended towards Merle, who then points at himself.

“The hell did you do, old man?” Taako asks, more out of humour than actual curiosity.

“Like I know! Do you know why you died a whole bunch, huh?” Merle shoots back.

“No, but clearly whatever I did wasn't as bad as your shit.” The two continue to argue for a bit, Magnus joining in with his own questions.

“Well I'll, uh, be going now? Hopefully I don't see you guys later, ‘cuz that would mean you all would be in some real shit.”

They all wave goodbye, for some reason, as Kravitz walks out, but not without first being called over by the bartender, being asked to pay for the drinks he ordered earlier. He fumbles to pull out some cash, from what Taako can see, and it's hilarious to watch. After that, he's out the door, probably never to be heard from again. A shame, in Taako's opinion.

“Well that was fucking weird,” Magnus speaks the sentiment for all three of them.

“You think he was trying to con us for some reason?” Merle asks

“Out of what? Money? If he wanted that he probably would have bet some cash on the card game,” a realization shoots through him. “Fuck! We totally should have done that, get some extra cash out of the deal,” Taako mutters.

“Damn!”

They leave not too long after the incident, paying for their drinks. They say their goodnights and head to their respective beds, each praying for no hangover the next morning.

 

* * *

 

“Well damn,” Taako muttered, “fancy meeting you here, huh?”

Kravitz's head swiveled and he looked downright exhausted, up until the moment where it registered where he was, and who was standing in front of him. “ _Shit.”_

Today was supposed to be chill, a little post-adventure-and-nearly-getting-arrested day. Now he's face to face with a detective that accused him of faking his death eight times, when he has only almost died, at most, three times. He's never felt this much tension in a grocery store with no big sales going on.

“Taako, I mean,” Kravitz rectifies, “there's a _lot_ I need to speak to you about.”

“Oh boy, this'll be fun.”

Kravitz sighs, already looking defeated. He glances around and pulls out his phone, quickly checking something on the screen. For a moment, his face twists into something uncomfortable, like he saw something he didn't want to see, but it changes back to that tired expression without hesitation. “Not right now, though, I have… Work. Can we set up a meeting to discuss things later?” He says

“Did I die last night again or something? You gonna try and put me in the slammer?” Taako accuses, to which Kravitz responds with a sputtering, “No!” and goes on again about how that wasn't his deal anymore, never _was_ his deal. Taako still felt a bit wary, even if the events of last night were fairly fuzzy. But what with Kravitz’s current appearance (which, might he say, was even more handsome in daylight. Even a miserable look can't take away from that nice face) and the fact theyre talking in the middle of a Fantasy Krogers, he’ll let his guard down, just the slightest bit. “So when did you have in mind?”

 

* * *

 

Taako has a hot guy's phone number now, which, like, score. Ignoring the fact they exchanged numbers for business reasons, that is.

Kravitz said his shift was purely based on when all of his work was done with for the day, so there was no set time that they could plan out this meeting. He had to wonder what kind of work Kravitz even _did_ , aside from going up to strangers and telling them they were supposed to be dead. He was most likely a detective employed with the Neverwinter police force, but what did detectives even do? Official detectives? Angus was technically an “official detective” but he was also eleven years old, so the jobs they were assigned were probably different. Unless the police force is totally wack and thinks a kid should investigate the multiple deaths of three individuals. He’ll ask Angus later.

For now, Taako was staying in the hotel room he usually rented out after a completed adventure. Every time a fetch quest they accept off of Craig’s List is fulfilled, they return to Neverwinter to check up on Angus, who they met one fateful train ride on the Rockport Limited. The kid was asked to find the location of some murderer (maybe the police force is totally wack), while Taako, Merle, and Magnus were hired by a rich patron to guard their valuables on the train from none other than the exact same killer. No killer was found, but also no one died, and nothing was stolen.

After a few months they met up again in Neverwinter, hearing that Angus’ grandfather had died and that he was left with no other family. What else could good-hearted Magnus Burnsides do but take the boy in. Figuratively, at least. Angus was left with the McDonald estate, so he had a place to stay, a home, which the three of them did not. Magnus stayed in that old house with Angus, while Taako and Merle preferred the inn. Taako because, “Like hell I’m staying in a house where an old dude died, that shit’s _gotta_ be haunted,” and Merle because “I don’t wanna be in the same place with that kid for more than a minute.” So Magnus slept in one of the bedrooms, looking after Angus when he could. Not that it was that necessary, considering how capable Angus was. He could cook for himself, clean, and even had a steady income. The only reason Magnus adopted him was because without a legal guardian, he would have been sent to a foster home.

But enough about the boy detective, the real issue here was the other detective, the bigger one. Kravitz had insisted on calling him when he had the time, in order to arrange when they could talk, but it had been at least four hours since their fateful grocery store meeting, and Taako was _bored_. So bored, he had decided to hang out with Angus and Magnus, even in the creepy, definitely haunted house.

“You seem sort of anxious, sir,” Angus pipes up from his side of the couch. Taako really hated when Angus tried to psychoanalyze him, especially when all he’s doing is just sitting around, trying to enjoy some shitty reality tv show that an eleven year old should probably not be watching.

“What, Taako? Anxious? What kind of wild accusations are you throwing around, kid,” he says, flippantly.

“Well, you've been looking at your phone on and off nonstop, and you've hardly commented at all about these people’s poor decision making,” he references to the tv.

Angus was particularly perceptive, and wouldn't rest until his case was solved. Lying to him was no good, he _knows_ now when Taako is lying, after all this time. So what he does is give some of the truth. Not enough to inform completely, just enough to indulge. “I'm waiting on a phone call, trying to set up a meeting with a guy.”

“When do you ‘set up meetings’?” Magnus finally adds in his two cents. Great, now everyone is on Taako’s ass.

“Fucking today, obviously,” Taako snaps back.

“Who is it? What for?” Angus now leans over Magnus’ legs, fully invested in his mentor’s evening plans.

“Adult stuff. Lay off.”

“Ohh,” Magnus draws out, “ _Adult stuff_ , gotcha.”

“Maggie, the fuck. No.”

“Well if it's not that, then what? I _have_ to know now,” he puts his hands together pleadingly, “Please tell us?”

Taako groans loudly, sound muffled by his palms, “I'll tell you the moment I think you deserve this knowledge. Which will be never. Why do you even think you need to be in my business.”

The two shrink back, deciding they've done enough prodding. All three of them were pretty damn stubborn, but Taako personally excelled in refusing to disclose information on himself. Angus seemed the most disappointed, which is weird, because, why would he care that much? Maybe, he saw his mentor acting _anxious_ , wanted to know what in the world could cause something like that. He wanted to help, maybe tell him it would all turn out okay, that everything is funshine and happy days.

Weird kid.

Eventually a commercial break pops up, and he decides to take his leave. This episode was a rerun anyway. He already knew everything that went down in this ridiculous shared household of adults-who-acted-like-teens. Drama is boring unless it's fresh picked; that's when gossip is the juiciest after all. Magnus sends him off with a, “Good luck with your adult stuff!” to which Taako rolled his eyes.

Now was as good of a time as ever to shoot Kravitz a text, he guesses. Screw waiting, he's gonna set up a damn good meeting, very business like, very professional.

Except that's boring and stupid. He needs something that can spice up what no doubt is going to be a mind-numbing conversation about dying or whatever, something that isn't straightforward in its attempts, but would mostly likely lead to a very good end of the night. He's wracking his brain while walking back to the hotel, when he spots the perfect location to go to. Taako quickly types down the address in a text, provides a good range of time that can be discussed later, and hits send. Tonight's gonna be the fucking bomb.

 

* * *

 

Taako is, in his own very good, incredibly reliable opinion, in a super bomb outfit. Not too business, not too casual, but definitely eye catching. He sits in the booth at the Chug ‘N Squeeze, sipping on some fine wine, and waiting patiently for Kravitz to arrive. The original plan was to arrive after his- date was too strong of a word- associate, but arriving fashionably late to a meeting that one has planned is beyond rude, so here he is, sitting and quietly jamming to the soft pop music playing over the speakers.

Kravitz arrives a minute late, looking around anxiously. Once he spots Taako, who waves in response, he calms down minutely. He strides over, taking quick steps like he doesn't want to be seen here, and slides fluidly into the booth, settling down next to his “associate”.

“I, well I must be honest, when I first found that _this_ was the address you sent me, I thought it was a typo,” Kravitz says. He looks very much out of his element here, eyes darting around, “nor did I really expect you to choose the location.”

“Hello to you too,” Taako grins and shrugs. “Just felt like this was a classy enough place as any to discuss matters like these.”

Even though his initial nervousness was strong, he seems to be calming down more and more with each second. He breathes in deep, and out, and smiles.

“I think I would prefer somewhere a bit more private, since this stuff is pretty much confidential.”

“Ehh don't worry about it. I doubt anyone's gonna do anything about my situation anyway, if you haven't,” Taako waves a hand flippantly, while Kravitz cringes at the blatant _I’m basically a criminal and you haven't arrested me s_ tatement.

He sighs, still looking as tired as he did earlier today, although the fluorescent lights were even less flattering than the orangish candle glow. Taako takes another sip from his glass and starts working on the pottery. There were only a few occasions where he's been able to work with clay, but he's rocked it three out of five times, which is technically a win. On the other hand, Kravitz seems a little reluctant to start, movements stiff and unsure, like he doesn't know how to work these things. There's a real possibility that he hasn't, now that Taako thinks about it. It's not like pottery is a very common hobby. He eventually stops fiddling around with the wheel and folds his hands together, looking all business.

“The reason I wanted to talk was because I looked more into those deaths. I wanted to get some witnesses who had perhaps seen you, or talked to you before. My first town was Phandalin,” he pulls out his phone and types something in, then shows the screen. Taako reads it, it's a Fantasy Google search of Phandalin, but something doesn't make sense.

“Phandalin, according to all online databases, doesn't exist,” he pulls the phone away and pockets it. “I’ve looked at police, library, and any online records i could find, and it just doesn't _exist_ ,” he sounds bewildered, and Taako doesn't blame him.

“Hold up, no, I've been to Phandalin, it's totally real. Are you sure you spelled it right?”

“Of course, I know I have because any physical records prior to your deaths exist, but all traces of it digitally are completely erased,” he pulls out a map of Faerun and lo and behold, there lies Phandalin where it should. Spelled right and all.

“What the fuck,” Taako whispers.

“I know! But oh, it gets worse. I spoke around to people to ask if they knew this was going on and you know what they said? ‘I've never heard of Phandalin before, is it far away?’ Those I asked came from a neighboring city!” Kravitz has his voiced raised to a perceptible degree, and the other couples in the establishment are looking over, some in confusion, others in annoyance. Whatever concerns he had about keeping this secretive were apparently thrown at the window as his agitation took over.

Taako, although taken by this mystery, was still working on his bomb-ass bowl because after all, this clay shouldn't go to waste. Kravitz continues to talk about the contradictions of this case and what it could possibly mean. When he first saw the online records of Phandalin were gone, he suspected the three of them of hacking, to which Taako said he wasn't much of a computer guy as just a phone guy. Magnus was too rustic and Merle too in tune with nature to even know how to turn a computer on, but Kravitz assured Taako that he believed him. “After all, even if you were capable of doing something that high degree, I don't think you'd be able to wipe the memories of so many people.”

“So,” Taako finishes the finesse of his bowl, despite the crowing of the attendant that it was vase night, “what does that mean for us? Are we off the hook or…?”

“Not yet,” Kravitz, who had started his vase a little later, had finished what looked like a soft five of a piece, “actually, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like the three of you to come with me so we can investigate Phandalin,”

The attendant comes by, glaring at Taako and grabbing their pieces to put in the kiln, and Taako laughs, “Really? You trust us to help you solve your case?”

“Gods no- no offense to you- I’d just like some witnesses in the case of something… strange happening,”

“The more the merrier?”

“Something like that.”

“Then how about we add a fifth member to our party, huh?” Taako suggests. Kravitz looks a bit wary

“I don't know if I’d trust anymore of your companions to join us- especially if they have a death count as well,” Kravitz shakes his head, “Not sure how many more of these cases I can take at once.”

“Don’t worry about it! I seriously doubt he's died a single time, real or not. Plus he's a detective, so he'll be some serious help, I promise,” he crosses his finger over his chest, getting the point across that he's one-hundo percent serious on this.

From where he's sitting, for the first time ever (a single day isn't much of a metric to judge people on, but it's still surprising) he sees Kravitz smile with a kind warmth. The lighting really helps his look, he's not as tired, not as frustrated, but instead happy, grateful even. “I'll trust you on this, so don't let me down, alright?”

“Gotcha. Just send me the deets and we'll be there.”

The rest of the night goes well, away from business, a bit more into pleasure. The atmosphere softened from a mist of confusion to a delightful warmth. The wine helps, certainly. Unsurprisingly, Kravitz is subpar at keeping up a serious nature. He's pretty goofy and is easy to make laugh, and boy does Taako have quite a few jokes up his sleeve.

They get their pottery back at the end, share the final pleasantries of the evening, and are soon on their separate ways. It was, no exaggeration, the best date Taako's had in a very long time; date being the acceptable label to use at this point. He gets back to his room at the inn, taking one last look at his bowl for the night, wondering where the hell he was even going to put this thing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhhh so I know it's been like, a month, but here's the second chapter! School started this monday and I've been prepping since early august (coughdoinglastminuteworkcough). This next update miiiight take a lil longer, and if it does I'm sorry I'm just, a very slow writer... Hope you like what I've got so far, though!

He gets a text from Kravitz after he’d gotten back to the hotel, thanking him for the night, along with a time and place for everyone to meet up. It’d be hard to convince Merle and Magnus to come along, let alone at 7 in the morning (With Angus, however, it’d be easy enough. The kid would follow him to the ends of the earth, no matter the time of day. Even past his bedtime). He attempted to bargain for a later time to meetup, to which Kravitz reluctantly resigned. 9 AM at the latest, since he didn’t want to waste too much daylight on fieldwork. It’s better than nothing, he supposes.

Before retiring to his room for the night, he runs into Merle. He asks the dwarf of he'd want to go on an early morning mission with no prior warning just to check out  a town they were at less than a year ago. Merle didn't say yes, but he also didn't say no either. A maybe was all Taako needed, really.

Upon entering the room, Taako places the pottery in his bag of holding. As fun as this night was, the mystery of the confusion of this whole situation was exhausting. Taako undresses from his get up and into some more comfortable sleep clothes.

Before heading to bed, he shoots Magnus a text about going to Phandalin, seeing if Angus would want to come along. There was no response by the time he drifted off, but the guy was an early waker anyway, so he'd probably get the message in time.

Sure enough, at 7 in the morning, he gets a reply just saying “ _ ok ? _ ” He can work with that. When he gets up feeling fully meditated and ready to rock this not-exactly-murder-but-still-death-related mystery, he musters up the kindness to knock on Merle's door at 8:30 and ask if he's still coming.

“I never said I was coming in the first place,” Merle’s tired voice grumbles from the other side of the wood.

“Okay, just get ready faster or I’ll leave without you,” Taako responds nonchalantly. Merle mutters something else grumpily but eventually leaves the room, giving Taako the stink eye upon his exit.

The two leave the building and see Magnus and a sleepy looking Angus outside. Magnus waves them over with large arcs over his head. “So, what exactly are we doing?” He asks, when they're all together.

“Just a quick trip to Phandalin; no fighting, killing, or any dangerous skirmishes in our foreseeable future,” Taako answers. Magnus looks a little disappointed, Angus looks relieved, and Merle no longer has the expression of a grouchy old man that was woken too early from his nap.

“Okay then, how're we getting there?” Merle pipes up.

Taako walks off and says, “Follow me.”

They all begin to follow, a little confused. “Don't tell me we're walking there, that’s like a two day trip!” Chimes a complainer from the peanut gallery.

“Actually it's closer to a three day trip with breaks.”

“Ugh! Taako that sucks, don't make this suck, c’mon.”

“We're not walking there, gods, you'd actually think I'd subject myself to that?” Taako rolls his eyes, not looking back at them, “Our guy is giving us a ride, don't sweat it.”

It's quiet for a while, as they continue on to where Kravitz told them to meet up. “So… who's the guy?” 

“You'll see when we get there,” he answers cryptically. Obviously none of them were particularly pleased with that, but keep walking. Eventually, they arrive at the parking garage, a few minutes late. Fashionably late, that is. He peers at the numerous cars occupying the space, wondering if he could spot Kravitz from where he is. After a few quick scans of the place, Taako decides it better to just ask where he is.

He scrolls through his contact list to the number he wants and hits ‘call’. It rings only once before he's greeted by a now familiar voice.

“ _ Oh! You called, I was wondering what was- what's up?” _

“Hey so I'm here with my plus three, where you at homie?”

“ _ Um, hold on, are you by the entrance? I can-” _

An engine faintly hums to life as he sees a black car pull out near the back. It pulls up next to them and Kravitz steps out of the car. “Hello, we, ah, meet again,” he greets at Magnus and Merle.

“The detective guy? That’s who gave us this job?” Merle asks incredulously. Angus seems to perk up at ‘detective,’ though the others look confused.

Magnus leans over and whispers, “Was he ‘adult stuff’?”

“Okay!” Taako throws up his arms, “Introductions aren’t really necessary here, let’s get this show on the road.”

“Actually, sir, I-” Angus pipes up.

“Oh, yeah actually, this is Angus, the one who I said could help us.” Taako motions to the child next to Magnus. Kravitz looks at him, then at Taako, doubtful look in his eyes. He pulls Taako to the side for a moment.

“You said you were bringing a detective, Taako,” Kravitz says.

“I did, and I did! Look, Agnes is pretty damn smart for a ten-year old, he can do some good.”

“I thought his name was An-”

“Ango, come over here!” He yells to Angus, who nervously walks his way over. “This is Kravitz, he’s a detective too, yeah?”

“Nice to meet you sir,” he says and sticks out a hand towards Kravitz. He looks it over for a moment, like he’s unsure whether or not to take it, but then decides to go for it.

“Nice to meet you too… Angus?” He says leaning down a bit, and Angus nods. “So, uh, Taako said you were a detective…?”

“I can tell you’re skeptical,” Angus says, surprising Kravitz, “but I’m the best detective in the world. You don’t need to act condescending towards me, I do know what I’m doing.”

Kravitz draws his hand back in shock and glances towards Taako with wide eyes, as if pleading for help. Taako can’t help it, he bursts out laughing. He knows Angus is used to people looking down at him for being young and not being taken seriously, so it's always a treat to see a ten year old boy calmly and assuredly tell someone off. Even experiencing it himself was pretty damn funny. Taako isn't going to help out Kravitz here, mainly because he wants to see how he'll try to tiptoe around the situation.

“I- right I'm sorry, um, then I'll be glad to work with you,” Kravitz supplies, unsure. Angus nods again, seeing that as an acceptable response. He takes another look at Taako, opens his mouth to say something, but shakes his head and straightens his back out. “So, is everyone ready?” He addresses to the entire group. They all agree, some more reluctantly than others, and get climb into the car Kravitz unlocked for them. Taako calls shotgun immediately, partially because he's the only one that actually knows Kravitz, and he does not want to be crammed into the small backseat row.

Merle complains about having to sit next to Angus, seated in between the two other less fortunate passengers, which Magnus helpfully offers, “Do you want me in the middle?” Merle grimaces at the image and submits to his fate which, really, isn't even that big of a deal. 

“Wait, shit,” Merle pipes up, “this isn't a trap is it? To arrest us for death crimes?”

“Okay, literally, what is it with you and getting arrested? I wasn't going to do it two days ago, and I'm not going to do it now,” Kravitz sighs against the steering wheel.

“Are you into handcuffs or something?” Magnus asks, wrinkling his nose.

“No! Metal is too harsh on the wrists anyway, it-”

“Kravitz turn on the fucking car radio right now  _ I am not doing this shit early in the morning _ !” Taako yells, curling up and thudding his head on the dashboard. Kravitz startles and sticks his key in the ignition, turning on the radio to drown his sorrows in song.

Some bright, happy music plays for a second, before quickly being switched to a classical station. Taako heard the first station, which must have been what Kravitz had been listening to last, maybe even while he was waiting not even ten minutes ago. He can't fight the smirk that lands its way on his face. “Carly Rae Jepsen, huh?” He says, looking to his left. Kravitz however, refuses to make eye contact as he pulls out of the parking lot. 

“Her music is artfully composed,” is all he says. Taako grins.

He turns back to the boner squad plus child. “You chucklefucks gonna hold up good back there?”

Angus has a book pulled out and opened near the beginning. It's pretty thick, but he'll probably finish by the time they're driving back from Phandalin. Magnus is leaning over Angus, not so subtly trying to read along, but failing, seeing the drastic difference in their reading speeds. Merle rolls his eyes, taking a quick glance at the book as well before turning his gaze towards the now unrolling window. The unanimous response is a  _ Probably, if we don't get  _ too  _ bored,  _ which is good enough for Taako.

A few minutes pass, the quiet calming music filling up the silence, before Magnus, probably now uninterested in the Caleb Cleveland novel, asks, “So what's up in Phandalin that we need to go there, anyway?” 

“Taako didn't tell you?” Kravitz tilts his head, but doesn't take his eyes off the road. 

The elf in question feigns ignorance and shrugs, “Must have slipped my mind.” He purposely was vague in order to get them to go. Weirdly enough they were pretty okay with jobs they had very few details on, as long as they'd be able to find stuff about it along the way. 

Kravitz gives the briefing, which must have drawn the attention of Angus and Merle as well. It was the same basic story of Phandalin pretty much not existing anymore and how it might link to their accused deaths.

“Deaths? Sirs, what does he mean by that?” Angus asks sounding upset.

“Don't worry about it, it's probably bogus anyway,” Taako responds, not wanting to freak the kid out anymore, “I mean, who dies a whole bunch of times and ends up back where they started anyway?”

“Necromancers,” Kravitz says suddenly, a bit scornful.

“Those dudes still in action? Thought that wasn't even a thing anymore.” Necromancers were definitely a thing back in the day. Taako even heard a few stories when he was a kid about people raising armies of the dead, but the magic’s popularity died out eventually. Maybe he's just out of touch with the news, who knows, there could have been a resurgence of it outside of his knowledge.

“Always were, probably always will be,” he muttered. Clearly Kravitz wasn't a fan of necromancers; Taako wondered what he thought of transmuters. 

“So, we're the only ones that remember Phandalin, then?”

“Um, about that, I've been meaning to ask…” Angus speaks up, “Where is Phandalin? I should know every nearby city, since I've traveled all over, but I don't think I've ever heard of it.”

They're at a stoplight right now, and Kravitz takes the opportunity to lean over and open the glove compartment where Taako is sitting, pulling out a map. He hands it backwards to the boy. The light turns green just as he turns his attention back to the road, and says, “It should be circled in red pen.”

Angus takes some time to study it over, Magnus and Merle looking down at it as well. The kid’s face twists in confusion as he unfolds it more, trying to take in as much information as he can. “I've been around here, this doesn't make sense, I should  _ absolutely  _ know this town.”

“Everyone's got a lapse of judgement kid, don't freak out about it,” Merle says in the most reassuring tone he can direct towards Angus.

Angus just seems frustrated. “No, you don't understand, I’d know about Phandalin. It's not at all far from Neverwinter, I-I should know this place?”

“No one remembers Phandalin,” Kravitz interjects, drawing attention away from the map, “except for me and these three, for whatever reason. I think it might have something to do with why I have so many deaths marked down for you guys.”

And there was only one way to find out, Taako thought as he directed his attention to the passing scenery outside the window, chin in hand. He still can't really wrap his head around the whole selective memory wipe thing, especially since it just so happens to not include the three dudes who had apparently died in the forgotten town. In the background noise was Kravitz answering all the questions the backseat passengers he could. There was a lot he didn't know, a lot none of them knew, and it all could be discovered at their destination.

Eventually, all the concerns were met with either an answer or a disappointed shrug, and the car was left again in a boring quiet. Music playing, pages turning, occasional sniffling from whoever had sinus problems that day; it was all so dull.

Time passed, Taako fiddled on his phone some more, trying to make do with such little entertainment. If there wasn't such an awkward air of not knowing what to talk about, this would go by so much easier. 

“We're getting close, only a few more minutes,” Kravitz said, and Taako looked up, expecting to see the outlines of buildings, but there was nothing. It was mostly flat road ahead, which was especially strange. But maybe there was a dip down that he couldn't see, that he forgot about since his last trip to Phandalin. He turns his attention back to his phone, after giving a noise of confirmation that he'd heard Kravitz. 

The minutes to by slowly, when he looks up again, knowing at this point he should see  _ something _ . Again, no sign of any man made structures aside from the road. It was starting to weird him out a little. 

Kravitz seems to lean a little more forward in his seat, squinting over the steering wheel, and he whispers, “Oh,  _ shit _ .”

Taako now has to lean forward and squint too, to see what Kravitz was referring to, and oh  _ shit _ indeed. All he sees is a large black spot on the ground, apparently where Phandalin should be. The rest of the crew see it too, also muttering expletives (except Angus, since Magnus got weirdly uppity about him swearing after he was adopted.)

They get closer, and the large black circle isn't just large, it's fucking huge. It's city sized. It's  _ Phandalin _ sized. Whatever the fuck happened here cannot be good. Kravitz puts on the gas, mainly because hell, it's an abandoned road and they haven't seen anyone for miles, what's the worst that could happen? On one hand Taako wants to scope this place out and see maybe if there's some sort of clue as to what exactly went down here, on the other, the thing that did this might still be there, ready and waiting. Sure, he wanted to go out in a blaze of glory someday, but not literally.

They pull up to the outskirts of this black circle and the first thing Taako notices is that it is definitely burnt. Okay, maybe that was obvious, but this is  _ burnt _ . Not “left something in the oven for too long” burnt, but “million degrees all at once” burnt. The outside edges were simply scorched, but further in it becomes glassy, a smooth, yet dark texture. They could rule out any regular fire, because there’s no way in hell some kindling lost control could do this, which left magic as an option, and whoever, or  _ whatever _ did this is not to be trifled with.

Angus kneels down and lays his hand above the ground, then places it on the blackened earth. He pulls out his notebook to jot something down as Kravitz says, “Out of everything I thought to see when I got here, this is so… it's super fucked.” As he says that last word, his eyes widen a bit when glancing down at Angus, and he covers his mouth. Taako chuckles a bit.

“Don't worry about cussing around him, he can handle it, can't you Ango?” Taako asks down at the boy, still writing.

“Yes sir, no need to worry. I'm not bothered by ‘fuck’ at all!” He says with glee

“Angus! No cussing till your thirteen, at least,” Magnus reprimands, like he's trying to be a responsible adult. Angus apologizes, looking a little down for disappointing his dad. They have a short, sweet moment when Magnus smiles and tells him it was fine, and just to not do it again. Merle, away from where the family bonding is taking place, picks up a rock and tosses it into the circle. It bounces with a dull  _ clunk _ and rolls to a stop a few yards away.

“Guess we don't have to worry about traps,” he says, trying to take a step into the ring. 

Before he can, Angus yells out, “Wait!” stopping Merle in place. “If there is a trap, it might only react to living beings. We shouldn't rush,” he says and pulls out his wand. With a flourish Taako is proud to say he taught, Angus casts Detect Magic and draws his eyebrows together, waiting for a result. He tilts his head before writing in his notebook, and says out loud, “Nothing here.”

Taako gives him a encouraging pat on the head and says, “Nice real world application, little man.” Angus grins in delight.

“So, Angus, can I get your opinion on this so far?” Kravitz asks, clearly feeding into the attention that the kid is getting, and boy is Angus eating it up now. Taako’s gonna have to up the ante on their next magic lesson so he doesn't get a big head over this.

“Well, from what I can tell, even though there isn't any more lingering magic here, this was clearly caused by some sort of incredibly strong spell,” he starts, looking down at his notebook, “seeing how clean the edges are here it was probably just a single spell rather than multiple at once. Also, the heat you’d feel probably isn't from this being a recent attack, but more just the ground absorbing the sunlight. I don't know if I'd be able to pinpoint when this took place, but it definitely was within the past month.”

Kravitz nods in approval and he looks impressed too, “I'd have to agree with you, on everything. Although, there is certainly a possibility there were multiple attacks, just done over and over again in one area.”

“No, I don't think so, because it's very unlikely that a spell's strength can be copied exactly each time it's cast. And you can see that it's a clear gradient from the very edge from where this starts to the middle; once it turns that pitch black you see, there is no variant from that point on,” Angus gestures to the color shift with his pencil, drawing an imaginary line in the air. It is true, the reddish brown of the dirt into the blackened, polished surface is pretty clean. Speaking of polished…

Taako steps forward into the ring, and the ground now feels less like rocky earth and more like glass. He taps his foot once, twice, his shoe emits a clicking sound not unlike that of steps on a hardwood floor. Overhead, a cloud passes, which is lucky for Taako, when he looks down. Had the sun been out, he'd probably be blind. It was a clear reflection, though a little hard to see thanks to the dark color. Good thing too, because he's wearing a skirt today and no one needs to see all that biz. 

Maybe one person, actually.

“Please don't alter anything here, this is all evidence,” Kravitz says from behind him. It'd be pretty damn hard to change anything about this place, aside from maybe casting a fireball outside of the circle. Nearly a mile diameter of black glass, and no one, aside from the four of them, in sight.

“How many…” Angus starts quietly, “how many people do you think died here?” That part of this whole thing hadn't really hit Taako yet. 

“You know the population of this city?” Magnus asks Kravitz.

“No, and I can't exactly look it up either,” he says solemnly.

Right, the whole reason they came here. Phandalin was gone, physically and mentally, to everyone but a select few.

“Who would have the power to do all of this?” Angus ponders aloud. He's now sitting on the ground, tapping his pencil against his cheek rhythmically.

“You think one person really did all this?” Magnus sits down next to him, cross-legged.

“No, I doubt that,” he sighs.

“Me too,” Kravitz adds, “it's very unlikely that a single person would have the ability to do all this,” he gestures to Phandalin’s remains, “and wipe all information of it,  _ and _ wipe everyone's memories.”

“Mm, well, it is possible,” Angus rebuttals, “though not very likely. What I was thinking was, no one person would have a reason to do this.”

Kravitz cocks his head, waiting for him to continue. “Because, you know, what would a single person have to gain from doing all this work? Why would they even do all this? What was their motive?” Angus sighs again, then looks up to Kravitz, “No offence, Kravitz sir, but are you sure you're a certified detective?” Taako bursts out laughing, again.

Kravitz sputters in surprise, “Wh-what do you mean, of course I am, I-I have a badge if you want to-” he awkwardly shuffles around in his cloak (which considering the temperature today he has  _ no  _ business wearing. Taako can admire the gothic dedication, though) but Angus puts up a hand to stop him.

“No, you don't have to do that, I'm sorry. It's just,” he looks a little embarrassed, but it's more likely secondhand than anything, “you seem a little… amateur? No offence.”

“Pumpkin, you do know ‘no offence’ means absolutely nothing to people when they're being criticized, right?” Taako tries to calm down the last of his laughing fit.

“But I really do mean it! I don't want to be rude, ever!” He looks a little upset now, “I'm sorry, sir, I didn't want to be mean or anything.”

Kravitz, who is currently trying to smooth out his coat, smiles. It's an unsure smile, like he doesn't know if it's okay to do so. “It's fine, Angus, I admit I was acting like a newbie. I guess I'm just a bit in shock over all this. I'm impressed you're taking it so well, actually. I mean, none of you look bothered by this at all. Honestly it's a little concerning,” he laughs, but it sounds strained.

“Eh, we're adventurers, we run across stuff like this all the time,” Merle waves his hand in a “no big deal” fashion.

“We don't actually, never, but we have seen some pretty wild shit,” Magnus corrects. “This is definitely the wildest shit I've seen, though.”

“No kidding,” Taako scuffs the ground with his shoe, and it smears the glass surface a little bit. Hopefully Kravitz doesn't mind.

“Well, thank you all for coming along. If I'd come here alone I don't think I'd even trust myself, after seeing all of this,” Kravitz runs his hands through his locs while tapping his feet on the ground. He's trying to think of what to do next. “I should probably search around further in, see if there are any clues. Angus, do you want to help me?”

Angus shoots up from his spot and nods, walking over to Kravitz. The rest of them decide to stick by the car, Merle jokingly and also not jokingly suggesting they steal it and drive off. Taako says there isn't a key in the car, and Magnus pipes up that he can probably hotwire it, on account of his vehicle proficiency. By the time they've fleshed out the rudimentary flaws in their heist, Taako repeatedly shooting down every possible suggestion in exasperation, Kravitz and Angus return with nothing in hand, aside from a sample of the glass. It’s a disappointing search result, but the two detectives didn't feel as discouraged. “We could get this analyzed, and maybe learn more about what happened here,” Angus stated. It's almost noon now, which means it's time to head back. They've done basically all they could here. 

“So, Kravitz,” Merle says slyly as he slides into the backseat, “how much are we getting paid for this?”

“How much are you  _ what. _ ”

 

* * *

 

 

The drive back was slightly more hectic with the false promise of cash now falling through. By the end of the argument, Merle had his arms crossed angrily, Magnus grumpily looked out the window, Angus looked confused and scared, as did Kravitz, and Taako was just chillin’.

“We should have stolen the car,” Merle mutters, just quiet enough that Kravitz wouldn't hear. If Taako were sitting behind him, he'd kick the dwarf’s seat.

They soon enter Neverwinter again and Kravitz clears his throat awkwardly after a bout of silence, “So, should I drop you folks off at the parking lot or…?”

“You can take me to the police station and I can get this rock analyzed,” Angus says.

“I'll go with,” Magnus offers, always the helper. 

Kravitz nods, “Okay two for the station, what about the other two?”

“Hotel’s fine for me,” says Merle, and Taako shrugs in agreement.

“Seems like a pretty straight shot, alright.”

They stop outside the station where Kravitz hands the rock to Angus after him and Magnus step out. Angus cradles it in his hands carefully and promises to get the results ASAP. Taako waves goodbye to Angus through the window, leaning into Kravitz’s space to do so. He laughs a bit and ducks his head under the outstretched arm to be able to see out the windshield. It's a pretty cute moment and he's mad Merle is in the back witnessing it. He moves his arm away and chews on the inside of his cheek.

It's a pretty short ride to the hotel, Kravitz parks outside and Merle steps out, but Taako stays seated. The dwarf gives him a look and Taako tells him to go on ahead. He just nods and closes the door, walking to the hotel entrance. 

Taako turns in the carseat and uncomfortably places his elbow on the dashboard in an attempt to look casual. It obviously doesn't work, but Kravitz doesn't mention it. “So, my fella, whatcha plan on doing after this?”

“Well I was going to make a report on what I- we saw today,” he answers coolly, “but uh, it sounds like you have something else in mind?”

He shrugs with his non-balanced shoulder, playing coy, “Was just curious mostly. But if you're doing work stuff who am I to get in the way, ya know?” A moment passes and he moves his arm slowly where it was positioned to the door handle, continuing his leisurely exit from the vehicle. Kravitz watches him carefully and confusedly. It's almost as if question marks would pop up around his head at any minute. “I'll talk to you later then.”

The first time he tries to close the car door he does it too slowly, forcing him to open it again and slam it closed. “Goodbye?” Kravitz says through the open side window, giving a small wave and stiffly places his hands back on ten and two. Taako walks around the front and to the hotel, but slows his pace considerably when he hears a quiet, “Oh, fuck it,” coming from behind him as well as the sound of a door opening. He is absolutely fucking delighted.

“Did you need something?” He turns casually. Kravitz stops in front of him at a close distance. He stares down and clearly doesn't know what to do with his hands, but Taako doesn't mind, as he takes a hold of them in his own. The shock of the cold that seems to emanate from his skin sends Taako’s posture pure upright. “Boy howdy, those are clammy, huh?”

He turns his head away bashfully, “Sorry, sorry,” but makes no attempt to pull away.

“It's n-b-d,” Taako thinks for a moment, “but maybe you could make it up to me for surprising me like that?”

“How so?” He turns his head back, and judging by the small smile on his face he already knows.

Might as well just go for it.

He has to stand on his toes to reach, but kisses him despite the size difference. His mouth is as cold as his hands, which was more jarring. He pulls away and quirks an eyebrow. “Can I ask what's up with the whole cold thing, ice cube?”

He straightens his back and looks to panic a second before clearing his throat. “I uh, a witch. Cursed me. To be cold. Is what happened.”

Taako regards him and his stilted response for a moment. “Damn, that sucks. Maybe I could warm you up sometime though,” he winks. Kravitz laughs.

“I'll take you up on that offer,” he smiles, “but not today.”

“Take your time, but I  _ will _ remember that,” he says, placing another quick kiss on cold lips.

They give their true goodbyes this time. There were promises of contact when more information was discovered, and even when there wasn't. Kravitz had a dopey grin on his face for most of the farewell, and from when they part ways till Taako leans against the inside of his door to his room, he'd probably been wearing the same expression.


End file.
